Which injections are effective for lateral epicondylitis?

Authors

Brian Vukelic, University of Utah Family Medicine Division, Salt Lake City.
Rebecca Abbey, University of Utah Family Medicine Division, Salt Lake City.
Jordan Knox, University of Utah Family Medicine Division, Salt Lake City.
Alyssa Migdalski, Schusterman Library, University of Oklahoma, Tulsa.
Richard Guthmann, Advocate Aurora HealthFollow

Recommended Citation

Vukelic B, Abbey R, Knox J, Migdalski A, Guthmann R. Which injections are effective for lateral epicondylitis?. J Fam Pract. 2021;70(9):461-463. doi:10.12788/jfp.0308

Affiliations

Advocate Illinois Masonic Family Medicine Residency

Abstract

Placebo injections actually improve lateral epicondylitis at high rates. No other injections convincingly improve it better than placebo.Corticosteroid injection is not superior to saline or anesthetic injection (strength of recommendation [SOR] A, systematic review of randomized controlled trials [RCTs]). Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection is not superior to saline injection (SOR A, meta-analysis of RCTs).Botulinum toxin injection, compared to saline injection, modestly improved pain in lateral epicondylitis, but with short-term grip-strength weakness (SOR A, meta-analysis of RCTs). Prolotherapy injection, compared to saline injection, improved pain at 16-week, but not at 8-week, follow-up (SOR B, one small pilot RCT).Hyaluronic acid injection, compared to saline injection, resulted in a statistically significant pain reduction (6%) but did not achieve the minimum clinically important difference (SOR B, single RCT).Autologous blood injection, compared to saline injection, did not improve disability ratings (SOR B, one small RCT).

Document Type

Article

PubMed ID

34818156